Mobile TeleSystems

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Mobile TeleSystems

Type	Public (NYSE: MBT)
Founded	October 1993
Headquarters	Moscow, Russia
Key people	Mikhail Shamolin, President and CEO Vsevolod Rozanov, CFO
Industry	Mobile telecommunications
Products	Mobile networks
Revenue	▲ $8.2 billion USD (2007)
Net income	▲ $2.0 billion USD (2007)
Parent	JSFC Sistema
Website	www.mtsgsm.com

Old logo of MTS, replaced in May, 2006

Mobile TeleSystems or MTS (RTS:MTSS MICEX:MTSI) is the largest mobile operator in Russia and CIS with over 89.64 million subscribers as of April 30, 2008.^[1]

The MTS wireless network operates using the GSM standard. It currently holds licences to provide mobile services in 87 out of 89 regions in Russia and the entire territories of Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.^[2]^[3] MTS is currently the biggest mobile operator in Central and Eastern Europe.^[4]

MTS was founded by Moscow City Telephone Network (Russian: Моско́вская Городска́я Телефо́нная Сеть - Moskovskaya Gorodskaya Telefonnaya Set'), Deutsсhe Telekom, Siemens AG and still several shareholders as the closed joint-stock company in October, 1993. Four Russian companies owned 53% of the stock, whereas two German companies had 47%. At the end of 1996 JSFC Sistema (Russian: АФК "Систе́ма" - AFK Sistema) has got a stock pack from the Russian holders of stocks, and DeTeMobil has redeemed stocks of company Siemens.^{[citation needed]}

On March 1, 2000, as a result of a merger of JSC "MTS" and JSC "RTK", OJSC «Mobile TeleSystems» (Russian: Моби́льные Те́леСисте́мы - Mobil'niye Telesistemy) was formed. In April, 28, 2000 the Federal commission under securities of the Russian Federation has registered initial stocks issue of OJSC "MTS".^{[citation needed]}

On June 30 2000 stocks of MTS started trading on the New York Stock Exchange (Index MBT).^{[citation needed]}

Having started in the Moscow license zone in 1994, МТS in 1997 has received licenses and began to develop actively.^{[citation needed]}

In June, 2002 MTS started a network in Belarus.^{[citation needed]}

In August, 2003 MTS finished purchasing UMC, the leader of the market of mobile communication in the Ukraine.^{[citation needed]} Brand UMC existed till mid 2007, when major rebranding campaign occurred turning UMC into MTS.

In May, 2006 MTS changed its logo as a part of rebranding campaign performed by its mother company, JSFC Sistema. Now it has two red squares next to each other. The left one, common to all JSFC Sistema's telecom subsidiaries, contains a white egg which symbolizes simplicity and genius, while the right square bears the name of the company: МТС (MTS).^{[citation needed]}